Gillard Tops Abbott as Preferred Leader as Labor Support Slips

Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Australian Prime Minister Julia
Gillard overtook opposition leader Tony Abbott as the nation’s
preferred leader for the first time in six months even as
support for her Labor government declined, a poll showed.

Gillard’s rating as preferred prime minister rose to 40
percent from 39 percent two weeks earlier, her highest rating
since July, according to a Newspoll survey of 1,143 people Nov.
18-20. Support for Abbott as preferred leader slipped 5 points
to 35 percent, the lowest in nine months, according to the poll
published by the Australian newspaper today.

The governing Labor Party continues to trail the Liberal-National coalition, with support falling two points from a
seven-month high to 30 percent, according to the poll, which has
a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Support for the opposition rose to 48 percent from 44 percent,
according to the poll.

Gillard’s personal standing rose amid a month of diplomatic
commitments, including attending a meeting of Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation leaders and hosting talks with U.S.
President Barack Obama. Her government yesterday won support
from independent lawmakers for a levy on coal and iron-ore
profits, ensuring the bill will gain approval in the lower house
of parliament.

The government has pledged to lower the corporate tax rate
by using the A$11.1 billion ($11 billion) the levy will raise
over three years from companies including BHP Billiton Ltd. and
Rio Tinto Group.